The Tower Theatre is a
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in
Folkestone,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
that has been converted from the
garrison church of Shorncliffe Camp barracks. The venue is owned by
Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society
Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society, FHODS, is a charitable organization that holds performances and events at its theatre in Shorncliffe, the Tower Theatre. A theatre which has been developed by FHODS from what used to be a church, ...
, (FHODS).
Society
FHODS is a
charitable organisation that has been running in
Folkestone and
Hythe
Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to:
Places Australia
* Hythe, Tasmania
Canada
*Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada
England
* T ...
since 1902. It is an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
tic and
dramat
The Yale Dramatic Association, also known as the "Yale Dramat," is the third oldest college theater company in the United States. Founded in 1901 by undergraduates at Yale University, the Dramat has been producing student theatre in the United ...
ic society for amateurs. It regularly holds events and shows for the people of Folkestone and its surrounding areas. Very few similar societies in the UK own their own theatre, although this is the third successive theatre to be owned and operated by FHODS.
Building
The
garrison church was purchased by FHODS in 2001, and renamed The Tower Theatre. This is the largest garrison church in the UK. It was converted in late 2006 to early 2007 to a theatre. This new theatre has a 300-seat
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
with a large stage.
See also
*
Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society
Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society, FHODS, is a charitable organization that holds performances and events at its theatre in Shorncliffe, the Tower Theatre. A theatre which has been developed by FHODS from what used to be a church, ...
References
External links
The Tower Theatre website
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Theatres in Kent
Former churches in Kent
Folkestone